[Archived] Rovers 1 - 1 West Brom

[broadsword]

West Brom is not as bad as they were a couple years back, and considering our home form of last season and our history against the "lesser" teams in the last few seasons, a draw is not the end all.

Also, if you look at the opening match of last season, Portsmouth beat Villa, and the season didn't end too bad for Villa.

In short, it is too early to say.

However, I have this horrible hunch that Mr Revidge is right, we needed to get an experienced goalscorer in (if it were possible). Losing Cole was no bad thing in my opinion, but I think we needed someone who's got a bit of experience and know-how when it comes to sticking the ball in the net (we could've picked oen of the top-class-experienced goalscorer tree!)

Yorke is not going to score many stuck where he is, Stead is too inexperienced, ditto Gallagher and Jansen is not the man he was. I don't think Dickov was a bad signing, but I think we need more.

Once again our goal yesterday came from someone other than the strikers. Something that happened a helluva lot last season when Cole was here.

Edited August 15, 2004 by Bryan

[speeeeeeedie]

Didn't see the game, or the mass of highlights due to living abroad. I'll get them about Tuesday, when everything has died down. But from what I have read on the match from papers and the web it seems to me like West Brom did exactly what I thought they would do, and will do for 37 more games: defend like mad and try and get a lucky goal on the break. They'll furstrate better teams than us this year.

Megson was in the Prem 2 years ago, he is a very good manager and is learning, he knows they've no money and are favourites to go down so he's adopted a system of frustration and block defending to maybe give them 2 seasons up this time. When they do go back down, and they will, they will have plenty of cash to buy up the best talent in the Coca-Cola Leagues and make for a swift return to the land of the plenty, albeit for a brief spell. If you're a WBA fan you've got to love it, one year spent watching the best in the land try and socre past 10 defenders with no football being played at all, followed by a season of rehearsal playing great football and scoring freely. No wonder they get good gates.

Now back to the Blues, and the comments on this site. We've played one game against the most negative team in the league. They went one up and played to cash in thier chips, it nearly paid off for them but luckily for us we got a draw. Not getting beat in your first game is always priority, we did that. BRFC not playing flowing football with 6 goals doesn't pose any problem for me. If some posters on this board were to be believed we've had it and will be lucky to win a game. What are Charlton fans thinking? Especially if they have the attitude alot on here do. They're doomed. Getting battered of relegation specialists Bolton after spending all that money.

Please start looking at this differently, we will be OK, not world beaters but OK. We'll beat teams who are supposed to beat us and lose to the ones who should get hammered every week. The league is a slog, it takes plenty of fine tuning and changing to find a formula that works. Rovers have some very good footballers, opposition managers know that so when they come to Ewood they try to not let us play. The good teams don't need that so they play a more open game, giving us a better chance to play. Our away form will be better than most teams because of this.

Most of all, I know negativism is popular in East Lancashire, it's where I'm from, but some of the posters please try to look into what you are commenting on before going ape. It has a habit of catching and before you know it there are thousands of disgruntled fans. We have a lot to look forward to, just think of the position Burnley are in; it could easily be us.

On a separate note, I like those blue shorts.

[rover6]

West Brom will be quite strong defensively but surely we should have won with them missing their best player in Koumas.

Kanu was an astute signing from Megson. He became something of a laughing stock during his latter days at Arsenal (on the bench looking ugly with his hair 'style') and being the butt of jokes regarding his first name.

However, when he first joined Arsenal he was very impressive and a key figure in the team. He hasn't lost that talent but Wenger used him less and less because Bergkamp was preferred.

[bob fleming]

After my previous post, which I regret, I'd just like to address the balance and point out that at this moment in time we're sixth!. Back in Europe!

It's early doors but you never know!

But we were 4th at the start of the day, bob !

Yeah well - we're now 8th in the league!! I don't know what they've been doing down there today but it's got to stop. I'm now going to cut myself off from the world of football until tomorrow morning, the way this seasons shaping up I fully expect to open the morning paper and see that we're in the bottom half. No infact worse than that, in The Championship. Woe is me etc etc etc....

Good post Speeeeedie. I foolishly posted last night, full of ale and my knee jerking like a fully paid up mentalist. Sure it wasn't the start we were looking for - but it's certainly far too early to be "going off on one" in the manner that I did last night. Let's take a look where we are after 8 games. That should tell us what this seasons all about. Although I do appreciate that it's mighty hard for us to do that on here! (it would be a bit quiet really).

I notice we're above Manchester United this evening - which is nice.

[G Somerset Rover]

Although I think that we could do with a striker, due to us having very little money, or none at all, I believe that a pacey wideman is more required. With the sluggishness of De Pedro and Emerton, and the possibility of Thommo not recapturing his old form, we could definitely do with more options. As I said earlier, can anyone name me a player who can take on somebody and get us into dangerous positions? (Maybe a fully fit, revitalised Thommo aside). A striker would be nice, but from a personal point of view more pacey width is desperately needed.

[rover6]

Although I think that we could do with a striker, due to us having very little money, or none at all, I believe that a pacey wideman is more required. With the sluggishness of De Pedro and Emerton, and the possibility of Thommo not recapturing his old form, we could definitely do with more options. As I said earlier, can anyone name me a player who can take on somebody and get us into dangerous positions? (Maybe a fully fit, revitalised Thommo aside). A striker would be nice, but from a personal point of view more pacey width is desperately needed.

Not totally sure, but this Odemwingie character could be the answer to your pleas.

I agree, we don't really have a player with the dribbling ability to create out of nothing by beating a couple of players (Duffers style). Someone with that ability would be most welcome in our team.

[des]

having watched the hightlights on sky two main points

We did not play that badly and last season we would of lost a game like that.

I think we should play a 3-5-2 our players suit that type of plan and it means that at home we can attack more and away can play a more defenceive plan.

all in all not bad , but more good to come ( well I hope anyway )

[Kennysuperbuyer]

For those of you who don't like negativity look away now!

Ditto.

It was rather like waiting over two months for the opportunity to make mad passionate love for 90 minutes, only to have an unsatisfactory quick fumble.

What a flaccid, limp performance in the first half - too many long balls, posession given away too easily.

Like our venerable senior mod Den, I've got serious doubts about whether we've got enough pace and firepower in our attack.

And have we not learnt anything about giving stupid goals away at set pieces?

We did it time and again last season. Same old story this term - poor defensive wall with players not doing their jobs properly.

Later in the match, some more Keystone Cops defending, this time from Amoruso. We could easily have been 2-0 down after the Italian's lack of concentration with an under-hit backpass.

West Brom will almost certainly be in a relegation battle this year, but at least the WBA board are backing their manager with funds in the transfer market in order to give them a chance of retaining Premiership football.

Megson has so far spent £6m on Jonathan Greening, Darren Purse, Scimeca, Kanu and Kuzsczak, and has reportedly tabled further bids totalling £6.5m on West Ham's Michael Carrick and Anderlecht striker Aruna Dindane.

A possible £12.5m to be spent this summer?

All rather different to the meagre 150 grand we've spent on Paul Dickov. But I guess we've got to 'wee with the willy we've got', as Souness is fond of saying.

At the moment our willy seems to be smaller than a postage stamp. No wonder it was such a limp 1st half performance...

De Pedro had one of the worst debuts I've ever seen.  He doesn't look fit and his crossing was appalling.

Agreed.

Overall summary: CAN AND MUST DO BETTER.

Correct SG.

Wee with the willy we have got? We had a big willy before Souness started squandering the money on second rate players and selling our best ones.

Sam Allardyce seems to be able to do a lot more with his willy!!

[ABBEY]

thats because hes a ######!!!!!!!lol

w .........r lol

Edited August 15, 2004 by ABBEY

[92er]

I thought it was a very good post Revidge Blue and I agree with everything you said except about Ferguson. I can't see he's a £7,500,000 player. He just seems to pass it around like Wilkins and he certainly doesn't seem to be a box-to-box player. I really can't see the quality.If he turned his back on the ball when the free kick was taken well...

A bloke on the row behind and a few seats away is Scottish and goes up to Glasgow regularly. He gets a ribbing that we paid so much for Ferguson and is often asked when are we going to sell him back for £1,000,000>

[92er]

The draw brought about a little symetery-the last 12 matches against WBA(I presume at Ewood) reads as 4 Home wins, 4 Away wins,4 Draws.

I thought Kanu was excellent- setting up one of their players with a tremendous piece of skill in the first half,really showing up Emerton at times in the first half and then really rattling Matteo.But what about Darren Purse? It's the first time I've not seen him play really dirty at Ewood and I have to believe this is down to the lack of pressure he was put under. A real reflexion on un.

[RoverDrake]

Very disappointed with Matteo.  Not impressed with all the free kicks he gave away - including the one leading to the goal, and the pulling of Kanu's shirt getting him a yellow card.

I don't blame the guy - he's a centre back who's trying to play central midfield.

Regulars at the reserves are best placed to comment on this - but don't you think that Ciaran Donnelly or Neil Danns would offer far more in midfield than Gresko ever will? I don't understand why Souness chooses to play our second choice left back in midfield after one decent pre-season performance.

If Thommo's not fit let's give Danns or Donnelly a go - young players with enthusiasm and no shortage of talent. It's a classic case of foreign players blocking the route of youth to the first team. And Gresko isn't even a good foreign player.

Got to totally agree with you. I have been very keen for Donnelly to be given at least a chance in the first-team. I mean if Souey is prepared to put Gresko in midfield, I don't see why Donnelly can't be given a go.

About Emerton, I hear his Aussie team-mate Harry Kewell is starting to be slightly similar. I heard Kewell seems to just be not bothering to take people on and just doing 'enough' without giving that bit extra to open a defence up consistently.

[samtheozzy]

I would've given my left nut to see Thommo start against WBA. In addition to lacking composure we also lacked attacking flair. Our team is made up of "workaholics" and "grafters" but against a composed defence people of that mentality and ability have a diminished effectiveness. Thommo plays with panache and imagination, kind of like what Duff used to bring to the team, and it was painfully obvious that we lacked that type of player during the match.

Retrospectively that sort of creative, attacking flair was something that Andy Cole brought to Rovers, and although i never thought i'd say this, we really needed it on Saturday.

[bob]

Well I was very disappointed with the performance on Saturday Matteo was awful, it was Leeds United he played for and not Leeds Rhino’s??? He pulling at the shirts of any attacking player he could, he was also very slow (Not that I expected Carl Lewis). Emerton has not improved either his crossing or his shooting he should have had a goal but took two or three extra touches and lost it, his all round game was not great never seemed to get wide to receive the ball in the second half short gave him a blasting for it at one point did no good! De Pedro looked to be carrying some extra weight from the pics and video I have seen of him didn’t get into the pace of the game at all, one good cross. Big improvement needed smacks of carrying on from last season, I know the season is long but it will be even longer if we have to watch that rubbish all season!

[SuperStella]

Was very impressed with their 2 centre halves - Gaardsoe & Purse.

[Nuclearsox]

Friedel: Looking to be lacking mobility and couldn’t kick it. That can’t be ideal for a footballer. Blameless for the goal and saved Amo’s blushes. 6/10

Gray: Reasonable performance. Got forward well and put in a couple of crosses 6/10

Short: Good, solid, professional performance. Great run for the goal. Clinical finish with his right ear. 8/10

Amoruso: Did well apart from dodgy backpass but failed to score when my money was on him for first goal. Unacceptable. 1/10

Emerton: For God’s sake shoot....! Or cross….! Or take the full-back on….! Laying it off to Short and making a 3-yard sprint towards goal is not a sound attacking ploy! 4/10

Ferguson: A captain’s performance. Lead by example. If someone takes a free-kick very hard in the direction of your left nipple, correct procedure is to duck away like a nancy and I think he showed the lads how you do it beautifully. 6/10

Gresko: Didn’t do much wrong. Didn’t do much right. Didn’t do much. 6/10

Matteo: Must have very bad breath. Every time he breathed on Kanu, the Nwankwo fell over. 5/10

De Pedro: Emo could have a challenger in the Opta stats for most crosses this season. One was within 20 yards of its target too! Did a nice little thingamyjig over on the right wing at one point. 4/10

Yorke: Worked hard!!!!!! 8/10

Stead: Limited to one half shot on the turn from 30 yards (although he might just have been break-dancing when the ball hit him) and crossed for the goal. 5/10

Tugay: Looked determined when he came on and controlled midfield apart from a couple of wayward passes best summed up by the sky sports commentary : “Tugay, the Turkish midfielder, can pass on a sixpence” as the ball sailed out of play 20 yards ahead of and 10 yards above the nearest Rovers player. Maybe his imaginary friend has put some height on during the close season…? (7/10)

Dickov: Did all you could ask of him. Challenged hard. Chased everything. Moaned to the ref. Sat on his arse in the area with his arms spread wide. (7/10)

Gallagher: Received the ball. Lost the ball. Chased after the bloke with the ball. Not given much time to impress (6/10)

Neill: Superb. Brilliant. Vast improvement on last season. (9/10)

[bob fleming]

Superb Sox! I agree with most of that apart from Neill who was virtually anonymous so far as I could tell...

Actually, you're right, Neilll = 9/10.

[CAPT KAYOS]

Yet again good posts Scotty/Rev Blue (sorry Steb but have to agree with him, again) nice to know some people live in the land of reality and say it as it is instead of sticking their heads in the sand to hide the obvious and gaping faults with our team.

Right, now I’ve had time to reflect here goes - its not pleasant and only a few niceties so for those of you who are still wearing blue n white blinkers leave them on!!

Saturday’s game WAS A JOKE –AND SO WAS SOUNESS!! New season same old pathetic Rovers (or should that read Souness)

Hindsight is a good thing, and not wanting to sound bigoted or arrogant but for the elite of us ( eg myself) foresight is a god damn precious attribute (especially where Rovers are concerned). I stated on the ‘2004/05 prediction and nervous or excited threads’ where I expressed my worry about whether we would be stabilised in midfield due to what I considered to now being a weak right hand side. This, as Saturday proved, showed my worries where not in vain.

Not wanting to go over what people have already said – but any manager that goes out so negative at home against a team that has just been promoted – and from Saturday’s evidence will definitely be relegated along with US – should not be doing the job. If people are not worried about this, then they better wake up and smell the coffee because obviously our ‘mighty to some’ manager has not learnt from his mistakes of last season. Yes he rectified it, but only because it was obvious to a blind man what the problem was.

I was mighty annoyed coming off on Saturday, but on the second half performance can drag some aspect that there might be something in there to build on as long as our @#/? of a manager stops pissing about with the team, and only because it’s the first game of the season and we have yet to see our the other teams look.

For those that went to the pre-season games - hope you can see now that the formations he played where just because it was pre-season (NOT!!!!!!!!!!)

As for the players –

I thought Matteo was poor looked far too slow and conceded to many fouls.

Gresko/Pedro – just got in each others way due to them virtually playing the same position

Emerton – A lot of people I spoke to on Saturday came off cursing him and saying how useless he is - about time I thought .However, people know my feelings on this guy (how long tdo people want to wait for this ‘potential’ thing that so many seem to think he has?), but I couldn’t really fault him (except for the attempts at trying to take on the man) but don’t know whether this was down to him not knowing what he was supposed to be doing ie no cover in front of him or just because he is incapable or stupid instructions from Souness.

Tugay – Thank ###### he’s still here – thought last season he was beginning to come to the end but still has the quality (needs to be consistent though)

Yorke – hold my hands up have condemned him previously but thought he was excellent on Saturday – can he continue.

Gray – to me another excellent display kept momentum going forward

Dickov – The energy and determination is there – smaller version of Ashley Ward? Time will tell

Short - Gosh how we miss him when he doesn’t play – the one that wanted to win the most – showed it with his determination for the goal

The rest, just routine – but does nobody else feel that we looked a bit unfit.

The wall for the freekick was a shambles – and to me we didn’t look like we where going to score regardless of the amount of possession we had in the second half.

So unless there is some major improvement we are in for a roughshed of a season – and regardless of who we play, any similar pattern to the first half on Saturday and Souness will be picking up is UB40 album to play that scratched record again come the game against Villa.

Thanks goodness for the sake of Rovers it was only the first game -otherwise this page would have exploded by now

[RoyRover]

I was very disappointed with the result, when you consider the games that we have coming up, 3 points was essential. However, the performance didn't seem to be too bad. What did trouble me was the formation, I just couldn't work it out. Last year we didn't have many left footed players, but loads of right footed players, but it seemed that we were playing all our left footed players and not having a balanced midfield. Was this out of necessity, or is the tactic we can expect from Souness this season? Then it seemed that Matteo was put back into defence, was Short moved up front then or what? A good result against Southampton is a must.

[AussieinUk]

All I can say is..

EMERTON... What the hell was he doing?!? I was acutally worried when he had the ball or was being passed the ball..

T4E, Pringle and Capt Kayos... I might owe you an apology soon.

[thenodrog]

Seriously though, for a while I've thought that 3-5-2 is a better formation for the Rovers with the current squad, as :

3-5-2 got us up from the first div and on sat we were playing a first div style team ....with the exception of the excellent Kanu. BUT the FA cup tie v Arsenal showed that we dare not play 3-5-2 against quality opposition! Anyway who else plays that way in the prem?

Your suggestion that the current squad is suited to 3-5-2 also beggars belief as to play that the back 3 have to be lightning quick........hardly a description that would apply to the likes of Amo, Short, Johannson or Matteo is it?

I said on the 'Souness out' thread at the end of last season that GS should take a leaf out of Big Sams book by recognising his weaknesses and recruiting people to cover those areas, GS's has many qualities but his tactical nous is poor and he has not appeared to have learnt his lesson from last year. Points from the match

1. Despite having all summer to think about his best formation he puts out the most disjointed 11 that I can readily think of.

2. Emo is NO right full back. Everytime WB attacked his wing in the 1st half their cross came over. Nuf said.

3. Di Pedro is nowhere near ready for the Prem. We must stick with Gresko and Gray on the left and in any order until one of em gets suspended / injured.

4. Dickov as I have predicted will be a success.

And most contentious of the lot...............

5. Given that Tugay's introduction made the difference on Sat (despite one or two wayward passes), and given that when he plays he seems to touch the ball every 3rd pass or so, maybe we should build the team around him. The formation needs to provide him with players who can not only exploit the openings he provides to hurt the opposition BUT also players who can protect his physical vulnerability.

Not an easy ask and apparently an impossibility for Ferguson (rem that they did not gel at Rangers). Fergusons style is to drift forward irresponsibly at every opportunity whilst with Tugay on we need a midfield growler to cover for him. IMO thy are not a good pairing so who will have to give way? The ageing maestro with the God given talent or the as yet vastly over-priced, over-rated and unproven team captain? More importantly who will come in to fill the gap? Neither Flitty nor Matteo seem to play well with Ferguson, Flitty's days as a 1st team regular are more or less over (although at PNE I'm sure that he looked considerably 'lighter' than he did last year) whilst Matteo has not impressed in the holding role of midfield. Sticking my neck out I suspect that Matteo and Tugay might just be the best pair but until I see them play together for a time I will reserve judgment.

[ABBEY]

Well I was very disappointed with the performance on Saturday Matteo was awful, it was Leeds United he played for and not Leeds Rhino’s??? He pulling at the shirts of any attacking player he could, !

and west brom defenders were not doing that were they?

[The Producer]

3-5-2 got us up from the first div and on sat we were playing a first div style team ....with the exception of the excellent Kanu. BUT the FA cup tie v Arsenal showed that we dare not play 3-5-2 against quality opposition! Anyway who else plays that way in the prem?

Your suggestion that the current squad is suited to 3-5-2 also beggars belief as to play that the back 3 have to be lightning quick........hardly a description that would apply to the likes of Amo, Short, Johannson or Matteo is it?

-----------

And most contentious of the lot...............

5. Given that Tugay's introduction made the difference on Sat (despite one or two wayward passes), and given that when he plays he seems to touch the ball every 3rd pass or so, maybe we should build the team around him. The formation needs to provide him with players who can not only exploit the openings he provides to hurt the opposition BUT also players who can protect his physical vulnerability.

Not an easy ask and apparently an impossibility for Ferguson (rem that they did not gel at Rangers). Fergusons style is to drift forward irresponsibly at every opportunity whilst with Tugay on we need a midfield growler to cover for him. IMO thy are not a good pairing so who will have to give way? The ageing maestro with the God given talent or the as yet vastly over-priced, over-rated and unproven team captain? More importantly who will come in to fill the gap? Neither Flitty nor Matteo seem to play well with Ferguson, Flitty's days as a 1st team regular are more or less over (although at PNE I'm sure that he looked considerably 'lighter' than he did last year) whilst Matteo has not impressed in the holding role of midfield. Sticking my neck out I suspect that Matteo and Tugay might just be the best pair but until I see them play together for a time I will reserve judgment.

Totally agree with you about 3-5-2.

Re. Tugay - i can't really see how we can build a team around him, at least with the current squad. The problem with Tugay is that he's a (probably unique?) midfielder who hangs back all the time.....but can't tackle. If you put a holding midfielder next to him who can tackle well, it means your forwards never get any support from the centre of midfield, e.g. Flitty and Tugay together last season. It might work ok if we had Duff on the left and an equally creative attacking right midfielder (or Henry up front), but with our current squad I just think we'd be woefully uncreative in the final third of the pitch.

[greggyk]

What game where sky watching? Emerton 8/10?

[bob fleming]

Not only that greegyk but looking at that some people have even given Enkelman 5.6 and Johanson 5.7. Not easy to split the two if you ask me. Did Johanson warm up in a slightly more entertaining manner or something?

Thought de Pedro did well to get 7.0 and 6.5 respectively. Strangely no marks for Neill either.